"Are they idiots?"
Last night, there was a commotion near the party venue.
Some ruffians were running around with weapons, and my knightly order, upon discovering them, attempted to capture them.
It seems they used guns because the ruffians were armed, but during the confrontation, the ruffians apparently used a bomb to blow themselves up.
Or rather, the bomb might have detonated accidentally... In any case, it's still under investigation.
Considering their route, they were probably targeting us.
However, their methods were far too crude.
Charging in despite the security... Are they idiots?
Just then, Kukuri emerged from my shadow.
"Lord Liam, I have a report."
"What is it?"
"It's about the attackers mentioned in the report."
"Did you find anything out?"
"It seems the villains intended to infiltrate the party venue. We moved them to another location beforehand, but the problem is that various other measures had been taken besides just the villains. The villains were likely a diversion."
Apparently, various traps had been set up inside the party venue.
"Originally, I was going to advise you to cancel the party, but Lord Wallace removed all the traps."
"I have a bad feeling about this. It's ominous that Wallace was this useful."
The thought that I was able to hold the party safely because of his actions makes me feel grateful, but also creeped out.
I never thought Wallace could be this useful.
A competent Wallace isn't Wallace at all.
"Well, whatever. And then?"
"Two of my subordinates were killed. A skilled operative is targeting us."
Even though her comrades were killed, there was no anger in Kukuri's voice.
She reported the deaths of her allies as if she were making small talk.
"I see. How did those two die?"
"I had them investigating the villains' movements. The enemy's black ops are on the move."
So even the excellent Kukuri and her team have suffered casualties.
Well, their numbers were small to begin with.
A part of me wonders what they were doing, but... they are my few competent subordinates.
They're too valuable to be treated as disposable.
"Can you handle it? If not, I'll lend you a hand."
"That would put us out of a job. However... if possible, I'd like you to hand over any black ops corpses you acquire. Their bodies themselves are top-secret intelligence."
"You're very dedicated. Understood."
"Lord Liam, it seems a considerable number of skilled operatives have been sent. I would advise you to be careful for a while."
"No problem. I am beloved by fortune. Besides, I'll cut down anyone who opposes me. I've always wanted to fight a black ops agent at least once. If you find any interesting ones, send them my way."
"Our job is to prevent any enemies from reaching you, Lord Liam, so that will be impossible."
What a diligent person.
This is it. This!
I wish Tia and Marie would learn a thing or two from Kukuri.
"That's a shame. I'm leaving the behind-the-scenes work to you. I'm throwing a grand party today, so the enemy will likely gather."
"Yes, sir."
Kukuri sank into my shadow and disappeared.
◇
Ciel was exhausted from the daily parties.
Her steps were heavy as she walked down the hotel corridor.
"I feel like I've attended a lifetime's worth of parties."
It wasn't just the number of parties.
The variety was also extensive.
There were no bucket parties, thankfully, but she felt like every day was a whirlwind of diverse celebrations.
"I... I won't lose. I have to expose Liam's true colors and make my brother see the light."
However, she was barely getting through each day as it was.
"And that Liam... making Father and the others fight while he's living it up on the capital planet. I can't forgive him. And Father just accepts it, saying it can't be helped!"
Ciel didn't know that Liam was firmly supporting the logistics from the rear, or that he was protecting the families of the expeditionary force.
She hadn't even attended elementary school yet.
Her knowledge in that area was lacking.
Intuitively, she felt that Liam was running away by not going to the front lines.
"One day, I'll definitely expose Liam's true colors..."
Exhausted and staggering, Ciel still directed her hostility toward Liam.
Just then, she thought she saw an animal at the edge of her vision.
"Huh?"
She heard footsteps, too.
"Wh-who's there? An animal on this floor! It must be that Liam!"
The floor where Liam lived was heavily guarded, so no animal could wander in.
Only Liam would be able to bring one in.
When Ciel gave chase, she reached a dead end.
"I lost it. I have to report this to Lady Rosetta."
Just as she was thinking what a pain this new task was, she discovered something.
It was an e-paper.
"Why is a cheap e-paper lying here? Wait, is this...?"
Ciel hurried to deliver the e-paper to Rosetta.
◇
"Darling, this is terrible!"
A frantic Rosetta burst into my room.
I was in the middle of instructing a blindfolded Ellen, who was standing on a balance ball.
Her breathing was ragged, and she looked like she was about to lose her balance at any moment.
She was sweating profusely, and her fatigue had reached its peak, but I had no intention of letting her stop.
"What's wrong?"
Rosetta was clutching a disposable e-paper.
Since I'm rich, I don't use them, so I thought it was quite a rare thing for her to have.
After catching her breath, Rosetta played a video from the e-paper for me.
"L-look at this!"
"What is it—What is this!?"
I snatched the e-paper from Rosetta and trembled with anger as I saw its contents.
It was about a swordsman who had attacked the headquarters of the Arlen Sword Style.
I wasn't surprised by the attack on the headquarters.
I was surprised by the attacker.
"Someone is falsely claiming to be from the One-Flash Style?"
Rage welled up inside me.
The attacker had apparently claimed to be from the One-Flash Style and had defeated the head of the school, a Sword Saint.
I didn't care about the Sword Saint, but the fact that they claimed the name of the One-Flash Style was the problem.
The world of swordsmanship falling into chaos due to a conflict between schools—I couldn't care less about such trivial matters.
The problem was that they had used the name of the One-Flash Style.
"So an imposter has finally appeared."
Since they apparently defeated a Sword Saint, they must be reasonably strong.
I glanced at my favorite katana.
Among all the swords I own, this one is still the best.
It was spoils from the battle against the Goaz pirates, and though I've used many different swords since, I've never found one better than this.
"I will show no mercy to an imposter who sullies the name of the One-Flash Style. I'll cut them down myself."
Then, my master's face came to mind.
My master was also searching for a disciple, so it wouldn't be strange if there was another practitioner of the One-Flash Style besides me.
There's a real possibility that another one exists.
"Do I need to ascertain the truth?"
For now, I'll keep my favorite sword with me.
Ellen looked like she was about to fall, so I moved behind her and caught her.
"S-sorry, Master."
"Ellen, you're still relying on your five senses. Your eyesight is good, so you rely too much on it. You need to hone your other senses more."
"Yes, sir!"
Watching Ellen nod vigorously, Rosetta had an indescribable expression on her face.
"I always think this, but the One-Flash Style is so strict. I'm impressed it's been passed down to the modern age."
It's a miracle I encountered the One-Flash Style.
Still, I wonder what my master is doing right now.
◇
Meanwhile.
Yasushi was being chased by a woman.
"You marriage swindler!"
The one chasing him was a beautiful, black-haired woman with glasses.
If she weren't angry, she would surely look like an intelligent woman.
Now, there was no trace of that.
The beautiful woman chasing Yasushi had a demonic look on her face.
Yasushi was running for his life.
After all, the woman was holding a kitchen knife.
"I-I didn't mean to deceive you!"
"Wait, you bastard!"
The woman resembled Nias somewhat.
On a planet he had drifted to, Yasushi had met her and, getting carried away, had wooed her.
He was overjoyed when he managed to win her over since she was his type, but she turned out to be more possessive than he'd expected.
He'd spent all his money, and it was a mistake to let himself be lazily taken care of by the woman.
She had pressured Yasushi, telling him to "get a steady job" and "marry me."
Moreover, there was a baby on the woman's back.
It was sleeping soundly despite the commotion.
He'd let the relationship drag on, and they'd had a child.
He kept missing his chance to escape, and only today had he finally prepared to run away.
And then, he was found out.
"I'll never let you get away!"
"Have mercy!"
Yasushi was being chased by the woman because he was trying to escape from family and responsibility.
And then, Yasushi tripped.
"Ah!"
He clumsily fell, and the beautiful woman caught up to him—
"You enemy of all women!"
"Noooo!"
The woman's kitchen knife swung down at Yasushi.
◇
The waiting room of the party venue.
Another fun party today.
Don't I get tired of it?
Not at all.
Even if I were tired of it, throwing parties is what an evil lord does.
The thought of living in luxury on the blood-tax of my people feels amazing!
Also, I'm a little nervous today.
"You look beautiful today too, Amagi."
Amagi, in a dress, is attending the party today.
Seeing Amagi in something other than her maid uniform made my heart beat faster.
"Master. Didn't you promise not to make me attend parties?"
"Don't worry. The venue is dimly lit today, so no one will notice you. Man, it was a good idea to consult Wallace. Dimming the lights so no one would notice was a blind spot. Now I can attend the party with you."
"What happened to your promise?"
"I-it's fine if you attend just once, right?"
"Honestly. Just this once."
"Yes!"
I was satisfied that I had managed to bring Amagi, who always hangs back, to the party venue.
I was so excited yesterday that I had trouble sleeping.
"Why do you want me to attend the party?"
"I want to have fun with you."
I can say even embarrassing lines to Amagi without hesitation.
Why? Because I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
I hate flesh-and-blood humans because they betray you.
Rosetta is the same.
I thought she was a woman of steel, but the moment I had her, she became all lovey-dovey—that's a betrayal.
Honestly, it's more fun teasing Ciel right now.
Wallace came into the waiting room.
"Liam, it's almost time."
"Got it. Come on, Amagi."
When I held out my hand, Amagi hesitantly took it.
We entered the party venue just like that, but I immediately started to feel sick.
Of all days, it had to be today.
Some people just can't read the room.
"Is that Calvin? That guy has the worst timing."
Amagi looked puzzled.
"Master, is something wrong?"
Wallace hadn't noticed either.
"Liam, what's wrong?"
I let go of Amagi's hand and summoned Kukuri.
"Kukuri."
Kukuri appeared holding my katana, so I took it from her.
"Lord Liam, it seems the enemy has gathered. Communications are being jammed, and we can't call for reinforcements."
"Understood. You eliminate the ones outside."
As Kukuri sank into the shadows and disappeared, Wallace panicked.
"Liam, wait. The security is tight! And the background checks are thorough. No one can get in here even with a disguise."
"No, they're coming from outside."
◇
When Kukuri went outside, her subordinates emerged as well.
Their number was not even a hundred.
In contrast, there were a thousand beings, presumably black ops, surrounding the party venue.
Kukuri chuckled.
She showed no fear in the face of the enemy.
"You've certainly gathered quite a number. There are many clans and organizations I've never seen before, but I see you've survived to the modern era. We have a connection with the Fire Clan, don't we?"
As the ninjas Kukuri called the "Fire Clan" appeared one after another, her gaze was fixed on just one of them.
"Oh my, to think someone like you exists in this era. I thought all organizations had weakened compared to us in our prime, but you... you're quite the master."
The ninja leader readied his katana.
"This is not the era you belong in. Accept your death."
Kukuri's group readied their weapons.
Only Kukuri stood with her arms spread wide.
"How unfortunate! But I refuse!"
The black ops agents attacked all at once.
It wasn't just the Fire Clan; there were even black ops units created in imitation of Kukuri's clan mixed in.
Kukuri thought.
(So you sniffed out our existence and chose to crush us. Excellent!)
She slashed apart a black ops agent who got close with her long hands, then ran to close the distance to the leader.
Around her, her subordinates began a fierce battle to the death with the black ops of this era, and both friend and foe fell one after another.
Kukuri closed in on the leader and swung down with both hands, but he parried with his katana.
"You are finished. The nobles are no longer holding back. You were too stubborn."
At the leader's words, Kukuri distanced herself and saw a single battleship floating in the sky of the capital planet.
Entry here was supposed to be forbidden; a battleship entering was something that should never happen.
The enemy... it seemed they intended to blow Liam and the others away with the battleship.
Kukuri narrowed her eyes.
"This is quite a predicament."
Kukuri and her group could escape, but inside the building were many people they were supposed to protect.
Finally, the nobles had thrown away all pretense, broken the rules, and come to kill Liam with brute force.
As Kukuri tried to head toward Liam, the leader slashed at her.
Flames clung to the leader's katana, burning Kukuri's arm as she blocked.
It seemed the leader intended to prevent Kukuri from reaching Liam.
"You will all disappear here along with us!"
"A suicide attack, is it?"
Separate from the attack by the ruffians, Kukuri and her team had thwarted various assassination attempts.
Because of that, the enemy had come to kill them in a suicidal charge.
However, Kukuri was smiling.
"You truly are foolish."
"What!?"
Mechanical, insect-like legs shot out from Kukuri's body and sliced off the leader's arm.
The arm turned to flame in mid-air and vanished, and then flames appeared on the leader's arm, regenerating it.
Kukuri watched this with envy.
"To abandon your flesh... you've acquired quite a convenient body. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like something we could adopt."
The leader readied his katana.
The leader narrowed his eyes at Kukuri's group, showing his disgust.
"You are too dangerous. You were too strong. That is why the Emperor of that time feared you and turned you to stone."
Kukuri tilted her head.
The angle was over ninety degrees, making it look as if her neck was broken.
"Feared? It's easy to say whatever you want when you know nothing. If he feared us, he should have just eliminated us. That tasteless being laughed as he turned us to stone."
"How dare you speak of His Majesty the Emperor like that!"
Even for black ops, his loyalty must be high.
But Kukuri had lived in that era.
She had interacted with the Emperor of that time.
"No, he was just scum. Even if you call him an emperor, he was ultimately just a human. He had no dignity, no presence. He was a vile being who took pleasure in seeing others suffer."
"It is because you are like that, that you were turned to stone and buried."
Kukuri said.
"Perhaps so. But there is one thing I am grateful for. Thanks to that scum... we, the shadows, were able to meet a light worthy of our service."
Immediately after those words, a single figure emerged from the building.
It was Liam, holding a single katana.
The leader gave a signal, sending his subordinates forward.
"Foolish. Do you intend to escape outside alone? As if a human could escape from a battleship."
The ninjas were about to attack Liam, but they were intercepted by Kukuri's subordinates.
Kukuri's subordinate then self-destructed, taking the ninjas with them.
Kukuri didn't even glance at the action.
Liam would surely have been able to get through safely, but that would call their own reason for existence into question.
This was Kukuri's and her team's job.
And dying was also part of the job.
That's why she didn't grieve when her comrades died.
"Oh? I wonder about that."
Once again, the battle between Kukuri and the leader began.
Brian (´;ω;`): "While Lord Liam is in a pinch, his master is in a pinch over woman troubles... It's painful. Also, congratulations on the birth of your child."
Fuuka ( ゜∀゜): "Whoa! It's the master's kid! We have to celebrate!"
Rinhou ( ゜∀゜): "It's our new little sibling!"